Local restaurant receives backlash for sign

A local Panera Bread restaurant felt some backlash Thursday night, when it hung a sign demanding that Canisius High students be accompanied by their parents if they wanted to go into the restaurant.

Author:
WGRZ Staff

Published:
5:10 PM EST February 5, 2016

Updated:
5:10 PM EST February 5, 2016

BUFFALO, NY - A local Panera Bread restaurant felt some backlash Thursday night, when it hung a sign demanding that Canisius High students be accompanied by their parents if they wanted to go into the restaurant.

The demand was done to address "issues" at the business.

The demand came in the form of a sign, posted on the front door of the Panera Bread on Elmwood Ave in the Elmwood Village. The sign is addressed to all Canisius High School students wishing to enter the business. It reads: "you must be accompanied by an adult or guardian. No exceptions."

Some legal experts believe this may be form of discrimination. Local attorney Paul Cambria says that there are state laws that prohibit businesses from singling out certain groups of people, and holding them to a higher standard.

2 On Your Side noticed the sign Thursday evening.

On Twitter there was strong reaction -- some wondering whether the sign was legal and that Panera was hurting its own business.

Panera Bread has not responded to our request for comment.

Canisius High has released a statement saying: "Canisius High School has been made aware of concerns from Panera on Elmwood Avenue about Canisius students visiting the restaurant. Canisius has addressed those concerns with its students."

But Canisius, nor the company will specify what the concerns were.

On Friday, 2 On Your Side's Jeff Preval, paid a visit to the Panera Bread, where managers referred us to their corporate office. On Friday, we noticed that the sign addressed to Canisius High students had been taken down.